Combined ironing board and clamp



Oct. 16, 1951 v, BAKER 2,571,518

COMBINED IRONING BOARD AND CLAMP Filed July 23, 1948 INVENTOR.

YER BA KER .A 'T'TUEN Y Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

This invention relates to an ironing board clamp and has for the primaryobject the provision of a specially constructed device used on anironing board for holding pleats on garments in their proper foldedpositions while they are being pressed.

It is well known in the art of ironing that garments such as dresses,formed with pleats, are difficult to iron properly due to the fact thatthe pleats must be retained in their exact folded positions While beingironed. The usual method employed is to pin a certain width of thegarment on the cover of the ironing board and to hold the end of eachpleat with one hand while ironing with the other. This method is verytedious and slow and has the disadvantage of requiring the use of bothhands. The present device clamps one end portion of the pleats and freesthe hand which was formerly required for holding the same, thus enablingthe hand to be I employed in straightening the pleats and helping thesame in their proper positions while being ironed.

Another object of the present invention is to construct the device withan upper clamping member and a lower clamping member hinged- 1y securedone to the other and to provide a downwardly extending jaw on the upperclamping member, which jaw is adapted to fit against the lower clampingmember for receiving the end portion of the pleats and to furtherprovide means for resiliently pressing the jaw against the lowerclamping member, whereby the pleats of the garment are retained in theirproper positions to be ironed.

A further object of the present invention is to preferably construct theclamping members of a substantially fiat rigid material and to formoppositely disposed fiat vertical legs on the upper clamping member,which legs extend below the lower clamping member and are pivotallysecured thereto at a location closer to the inner extremity thereof thanthe outer extremity, whereby the lower clamping member projects at adownwardly extending angle on the ironing board to facilitate theplacing of the end portions of the pleats in the clamp.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of anironing clamp of the character described that is durable, simple inconstruction, positive in operation, economical to manufacture andhighly efficient and serviceable 1n use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

e1 In the accompanying drawing forming apart of the specification}whereinfor'the purpose of illustration like numerals designate likepartsv throughout the same,

Figflis. asideelevational view of the improved ironing clamp,

Fig. 2 is a topplanview of the same,

e 3 is a s e levat al vie of th clam l u ra ing its erat ve po ion. Q thir nin he d ith th lamm amemhers opene and.

Fig.4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, lookingin direction of the arrows.

Referring in detail to the drawing and the numerals thereof, the numeral6 designates the lower clamping member and the numeral 1 the upperclamping member, which upper member is formed with a downwardlyextending jaw '8 on the outer portion thereof, as disclosed to advantagein Fig. 1, and a pair of oppositely disposed flat vertical legs '9extending beneath the lower clamping member as disclosed to advantage inFigs. 1 and 2. The lower portions of the said legs are preferablyrounded as at 9. A suitable shaft [0 is transversely positioned acrossthe lower clamping member and welded to or otherwise substantially fixedto the bottom surface thereof and pivotally extends through the saidlegs, whereby the said clamping members are hingedly secured one to theother. It will be noted that the said shaft I0 and vertical legs :9 arelocated nearer the inner extremitie of the clamping members than theouter extremities, whereby the lower clamping member 6 is caused to tiltas shown in Fig. 3 facilitating the placing of the said lower clampingmember 6 beneath the end portion of the garment upon which the pleatsare formed.

The preferred means employed for resiliently closing the jaw 8 on thelower clamping member \6 consists in the provision of a flat elongatedundulating spring l2 one end of which is fixed to the outer member 1 asat l3 and the opposite end fixed to the inner end portion of the lowerclamping members 6 as at I4. A pair of brack ets l5 are fixed to thebottom surface of the upper clamping member I and :a shaft 16 providedwith a bushing I1 is mounted on the said brackets and the saidundulating spring I2 is curved substantially in the form of an invertedU as indicated at 18, which form [8 is positioned over the said bushingI'I, whereby the said upper clamping member is prevented from movinglongitudinally with respect to the lower clamping member.

The clamping members are preferably made of music 3 a substantially flatrigid material such as a sheet metal or plastic, and made of a suitablewidth for holding a plurality of pleats. The end portion of the garmentis placed on the lower clamping member 6 and retained thereon by theclamping jaw 8.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes relative to the shape, size, material and arrangement ofparts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In combination with an ironing board-an ironing clamp of the characterdescribed embodying in its construction a, lower clamping member and anupper clamping member made of a substantially flat material and spacedone from the other, a pair of oppositely disposed flat legs fixed to theupper clamping member, means pivotally securing the said legs to thelower clamping member, the said legs being rounded on the lower portionsthereof and adapted to rest on the ironing board, a downwardly extendingjaw formed on an end portion of the clamping member, an elongatedundulating spring longitudinally positioned between the clamping membersfor pressing the said jaw against the lower clamping member, an endportion of the 4 said undulating spring being fixed to the lowerclamping member and the opposite end portion fixed to the upper clampingmember, the said undulating spring having a substantially invertedU-shaped portion formed between the said end portions and means fixed tothe upper clamping member extending through the said inverted U-shapedportion of the undulatin spring for longitudinally supporting the upperclamping member.

VERA F. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 222,613 Wagner Dec. 16, 1879365,814 Henning July 5, 1887 495,518 Russell Apr. 18, 1893 549,145Mickelson Nov. 5, 1895 650,251 Humphrey May 22, 1900 1,330,724 SeeleyFeb. 10, 1920 1,501,044 Dwoirin July 15, 1924 1,582,379 Campbell Apr.27, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 635,409 Germany Aug. 27,1936

